Ok, I'm probably missing some really simple things, but how in the heck do you even come close to duplicating the opening months of the war in this game? I really like the basic structure and systems of this game, but dang it if I can do even half as good as the historical Central Powers. I have yet to figure out how to make a dent in Serbia, even, much less France. I can take Brussels and Antwerp, but then it stalemates, a long way from Paris for sure. In the East, unless I divert a lot of production to building garrisons, the Russians overrun Prussia. Ditto for the Austrians; they're so focused on preventing the Cossacks from rampaging throughout the empire that they can't build up any offensive power against Belgrade.

There just don't seem to be enough troops, or enough firepower, to duplicate either the Western offensive of the ripostes against the Russians. Oh, and when Turkey enters the war, the Commonwealth forces simply roll through Palestine, quite a few years before they did historically.

I'm not really concerned about hyper-historical realism, by any means. I just want to get some tips on how not to lose the war in 1914!

I haven't played 1914 in few weeks, but if you can cut off their supplies they can be defeated fairly easy. This is easier on the Eastern front since you have more room to maneuver. Just be careful that they don't cut you off first. The western front I would use your artillery to weaken the French, but it normally turns into a stalemate for me too. xirz has some great tips here.

Yeah, I read that AAR over on the Slitherine site. I guess I'm not doing as bad as I thought, as my situation is pretty much the same. I didn't use my navy in the Baltic, though, so I might shift it there. I guess it IS after all WWI, so even if I can't get quite to the Marne, the front line in the West is reasonably close to historical! My Austrians kind of suck, though :).

I've only just worked out the Schlieffen Plan for the Central Powers. You have to Bombard the Leige forts, and carefully move your units around while attacking. You have to take out Leige on turn one, Antwerp Turn 2 and advance West. Brussels should fall on turn 3 latest.

After that, all bets are off, the quicker you advance, the stronger your position will be, and who knows, sauerkraut and sausages for tea in Paris!!

Can't say too much as Warspite and myself will be starting a campaign in a couple of weeks.

I've only just worked out the Schlieffen Plan for the Central Powers. You have to Bombard the Leige forts, and carefully move your units around while attacking. You have to take out Leige on turn one, Antwerp Turn 2 and advance West. Brussels should fall on turn 3 latest.

After that, all bets are off, the quicker you advance, the stronger your position will be, and who knows, sauerkraut and sausages for tea in Paris!!

Can't say too much as Warspite and myself will be starting a campaign in a couple of weeks.

I like to take Brussels on turn two whenever possible rather than Antwerp, against the AI it's doable.

I've only just worked out the Schlieffen Plan for the Central Powers. You have to Bombard the Leige forts, and carefully move your units around while attacking. You have to take out Leige on turn one, Antwerp Turn 2 and advance West. Brussels should fall on turn 3 latest.

After that, all bets are off, the quicker you advance, the stronger your position will be, and who knows, sauerkraut and sausages for tea in Paris!!

Can't say too much as Warspite and myself will be starting a campaign in a couple of weeks.

I like to take Brussels on turn two whenever possible rather than Antwerp, against the AI it's doable.

You are right. Brussels must go down on turn two, and Antwerp asap after that.

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Our lives may be more boring than those who lived in apocalyptic times, but being bored is greatly preferable to being prematurely dead because of some ideological fantasy.- Michael Burleigh

You'll see that reproducing Germany's advance (and more) is entirely possible. The game mechanics for entrenchment mean that the western front naturally stagnates if you don't execute the Schlieffen plan with the necessary speed, but it can be done. For a particularly perfect execution of the plan, check out this AAR (http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3224098&mpage=1&key=&). I should say straight away, that this is a text-book execution, he makes it look far easier than it is, read the other AARs for more 'average' gameplay.

After a couple of tries I can now take Paris in October 1914 every time against the balanced AI. This is without major reinforcements. One MUST take Liège on turn 1 and Bruxelles on turn 2. Antwerp will fall in the same turn and Calais on turn 4 or 5. If you then manage to get a unit south of the Seine Paris will fall. Speed is of the utmost importance. If you waste 2 turns you'll run into a solid line along the Seine and will have a hard time breaking through. Always use a unit's movement to its fullest, including the bonus move gained by a retreating enemy unit.

Sadly, this sounds like GoA, where you can't come close to repeating Germany's western advance.

That's unfortunate. I probably will pass on this game for that reason.

You'd be making a big mistake. Today I bust through the Belgian defences and marched right towards Paris, battled off fruitless French counter-attacks and turned south towards Dijon. The two exhausted French armies that barred my way were wiped out and Dijon was captured after a stiff battle, cutting off the French armies in the west before they could turn around and counter-attack.

This comes after 3-4 games where I'd failed to beat the French in 1914 and then been stuck in a war of attrition with them. This is a great game and you should give it a chance.

I have just read 'The Real German War Plan 1904-1914' - Terence Zuber, always wary of books claiming to dispel 'myths', but the line of the book is that there was no 'Schlieffen Plan'. There was a theoretical wargame option (Aufmarsch 1906/07) approximating to what has now become known as the Schlieffen Plan, which required 25 more divisions than the Germans ever had and was more of a 'look what we could do if you increase the budget' exercise.

The wargame assumed no hostilities on the Eastern Front (Russo-Japanese War just happened, Russian army re-building) and these earlier German war-plans assumed that Italy, as part of the Triple Alliance, would supply several corps for the Western Front, neither eventually was likely by 1914 and Italy entered the war on the side of the Entente. Which is why the wargame could only be theoretical and hardly the basis for the 1914 campaign.

Plans were updated year by year, based on intelligence estimates of enemy intentions, estimates that could turn out to be wrong. In line with the adage that 'no plan survives first contact with the enemy', the 1914 plan had to be adapted in line with events and Moltke was more 'making it up' as the campaign developed, whilst the Army commanders had ideas of their own, rather than following some predetermined timetable.

Either way an interesting glimpse into the pre-war planning process.

< Message edited by Rasputitsa -- 5/31/2013 2:18:32 PM >

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"We have to go from where we are, not from where we would like to be" - me